Thoughts on Joan?

WhiskyCollins · 2026-08-10T10:36:59+00:00

Stuggling to decide on a name for my week old baby girl! Nothing on the pre-birth shortlist quite works. Looking for something short - frilly or overly feminine girls names aren’t my taste and her surname will be double barrelled. I like Niamh, Tess, Erin and Joan but there’s just something about Joan that is drawing me in. Interested to hear other thoughts and if people are seeing/meeting many baby Joans these days?

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Mimilamore · 13/08/2026 17:34

Love it… due a revival

ImpunityJane · 13/08/2026 15:19

I have come across two babies called Joan (nn Joni) and one Jean recently

LancashireButterPie · 12/08/2026 08:54

I like Joan but prefer Jane.

ZoyaTheDestroyer · 12/08/2026 07:38

treatmenaicly · 11/08/2026 19:13

You can't predict that every name that was popular at a certain time will definitely make a come back. 100 years ago Mildred was in the top 20 and before that Gertrude, but I can't see either of them ever coming back - they certainly haven't so far.

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I… did not make that prediction in the slightest! I can’t find Mildred or Gertrude in the top 20 at all in the 20th century - in E&W Mildred’s peak was #72 in 1904, and Gertrude’s was a bit higher at #33 in the same year. I’d agree with you that if the 100-year rule were infallible then they would have come back by now.

If we did want to consider what might be coming down the line , the 1934 top ten was:
Margaret
Jean
Mary
Joan
Patricia
Sheila
Barbara
Doreen
June
Shirley

I don’t think they’ll all resurface in the next decade (and I think the Triumph bra has well and truly done for poor Doreen) but a number of these have already been mentioned on this thread. It was just as unthinkable twenty years ago that anyone would name their child Ivy or Elsie and they have both broken the top ten in recent years.

FairViewRosie25 · 11/08/2026 20:48

Love Joan, was my aunts name and she was COOL. Dawn & Lisa uck though.

fgk12 · 11/08/2026 20:35

Joan is great and lovely nicknames too.

Shloopie · 11/08/2026 19:43

Has a Shakespearean link (if not the most lovely!)

Then nightly sings the staring owl,
Tu-whit, Tu-who, a merry note,
While greasy Joan doth keel the pot.

But I Love Joanie/Joni, they have a carefree and retro vibe

TheyGrewUp · 11/08/2026 19:41

Unblushingly · 11/08/2026 19:27

Yes, but you didn’t name your children Mabel, Flo, Winnie etc, did you?

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As a middle name, yes. We were cutting edge . DD, 28 had a Winnie in her uear and there were were 2/3 Florences.

IdaGlossop · 11/08/2026 19:31

Joan Baez. Derby and.

Unblushingly · 11/08/2026 19:27

TheyGrewUp · 10/08/2026 18:02

I'm 66 and many of my friends had an auntie Joan, Pat, Sylvia, etc. My grannie's generation were: Alice, Mabel, Flo, Winnie, Grace - all back 20 odd years ago.

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Yes, but you didn’t name your children Mabel, Flo, Winnie etc, did you?

Unblushingly · 11/08/2026 19:26

treatmenaicly · 11/08/2026 19:13

You can't predict that every name that was popular at a certain time will definitely make a come back. 100 years ago Mildred was in the top 20 and before that Gertrude, but I can't see either of them ever coming back - they certainly haven't so far.

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Of course not, but I assume that poster meant broadly in terms of names of that generation returning, not a guarantee that specific names would become fashionable for sure.

MsSquiz · 11/08/2026 19:20

I know a Joan aged 7 or 8, she gets Joanie

treatmenaicly · 11/08/2026 19:13

ZoyaTheDestroyer · 10/08/2026 14:54

Joan peaked in popularity in the 1930s and 1940s. That's grandma-generation for parents who are currently in their 20s and 30s, i.e. absolutely spot on for a revival. OP would be ahead of the curve but not by much.

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You can't predict that every name that was popular at a certain time will definitely make a come back. 100 years ago Mildred was in the top 20 and before that Gertrude, but I can't see either of them ever coming back - they certainly haven't so far.

DancingOctopus · 11/08/2026 19:02

Joan was the little dark haired girl that William Brown was always trying to impress in the William books.
It's a lovely name and deserves being revived.

junebirthdaygirl · 10/08/2026 22:16

I love the name Johanna ..one of my favourites. Prefer Jane to Joan.

Giraffehaver · 10/08/2026 22:11

I prefer Jean to Joan

Roselilly36 · 10/08/2026 20:49

I love the name Joan, I have known many, and they have all been wonderful women.

MerryRedSheep · 10/08/2026 20:06

No it's awful.

jay55 · 10/08/2026 18:04

Think it’s a lively strong name, due a comeback.

TheyGrewUp · 10/08/2026 18:02

Unblushingly · 10/08/2026 15:02

No, because those people have grandparents called Joan, so it’s a living, elderly woman memory for them — it will be the generation after that, which doesn’t retain a memory of Granny Joan, that may bring it back into vogue. My parents were born in the early 40s and their names have fallen off the baby name statistics here. My son’s generation won’t use their names because they’re naff granny names to him. His children might.

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I'm 66 and many of my friends had an auntie Joan, Pat, Sylvia, etc. My grannie's generation were: Alice, Mabel, Flo, Winnie, Grace - all back 20 odd years ago.

Gonnagetgoingreturnsagain · 10/08/2026 17:47

BakedPotatoBeansCheeseColeslaw · 10/08/2026 14:43

There’s an influencer I follow who called her daughters Jean and Joan. I think it’s surprisingly cool. If other granny names can come back then why not Joan?

My nana’s name was Jean, well actually Lilian Jean but when her mum died when she was 14, her dad married a woman not much older than herself called Lillian so she used Jean.

Joan isn’t a terrible name but it’s not one I’d choose.

ZoyaTheDestroyer · 10/08/2026 17:32

Unblushingly · 10/08/2026 15:02

No, because those people have grandparents called Joan, so it’s a living, elderly woman memory for them — it will be the generation after that, which doesn’t retain a memory of Granny Joan, that may bring it back into vogue. My parents were born in the early 40s and their names have fallen off the baby name statistics here. My son’s generation won’t use their names because they’re naff granny names to him. His children might.

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Names go in approximately 100-year cycles, and I regret to inform you that the 2030s are fewer than four years away 😊

Firebird83 · 10/08/2026 15:49

I know an 8 year old Joni and a Joanna who goes by Joannie.

Firebird83 · 10/08/2026 15:45

Yes! I’d be really happy to hear of a little baby Joan / Joanie.

EmeraldDreams73 · 10/08/2026 15:41

Joan was my much-loved Grandma's name (born 1917) but I've still never liked it and didn't use it for my dds despite choosing a very old fashioned name for dd1. I don't know any Joans now but maybe it'll have a revival.